Backcountry Musings

BCHA President’s call notes
respectfully submitted by Marybeth Conger, BCHI Alt National Director

On 9/ 27/ 17 I participated in BCHA Presidents ‘phone conference covering a variety of BCHA topics and activities. It is just amazing to me, to see and hear about all the outstanding work BCHA continues to do for us. Idaho was very well represented on this conference, as Amy attended too. Anyways, here are some of highlights that stood out:

Chairman Report, Freddy Dunn- BCHI should continue to pay for their national directors to attend the national board meeting. Regarding funding, consider adding a line to your membership application to make additional donation.
Treasurer’s report- As of August, current income is ahead of expenses. BCHA may have a slight expense overage by the end of year. BCHA is working to developing simpler reports for use during the fiscal year.

It is the recommendation of the BCHA Legacy Committee, that BCHA to consider opening of a stock brokerage account for BCHA to receive stock and bond donations. The Executive committee is researching to see if this action would impact current BCHA by-laws and/ or governance rules.

Public Land Report- (Note- I am only reporting on what was presented at the NATIONAL level. BCHI’s amazing Public land reps will continue to report and make recommendations about land issues in their areas.)

• Congressional champion identified who is willing to promote increase in Forest Service trails funding (CMTL) in Fiscal Year 2018. Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley sits on the appropriations committee, so we have an advocate in the relevant subcommittee.

• CMTL currently slated to get $77 million in the House bill (a $2 million cut from 2017 level). The Land and Water Conservation Fund is up for reauthorization by Congress. LWCF has benefited Trail access. It has been used for purchasing conservation easements, purchasing land outright and we would like calls made re supporting its reauthorization and full funding. Bipartisan-supported bills now that would do this are HR 502 and S 569. Alabama, Montana, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee will lose out on trail related projects next year if LWCF funding cut as proposed by House (only $275 million, when last year it was$400 million.

• Bikes in Wilderness Bill (HR 1349), the good news is there’s been no further action on the bill. BCHA is working with the American Horse Council, who is meeting with the house natural resources committee staff. The committee has other priorities that they want to get passed. BCHA will continue to track the bill.

Back Country Horsemen of America has added to its value to members by offering excess
Equestrian liability insurance through Equisure . The liability policy is available to BCHA
individual and family members in good standing and covers excess personal liability up to $1
million. Cost for the policy is $20 for individual and $40 for family BCHA members.
To purchase a policy or to learn more visit: https://bcha.site-ym.com/store/ListProducts.aspx?catid=584459.

Should anyone wish to review the actual minutes, I will be happy to make those available. Please take a minute to check out the BCHA website that contains a wealth of information. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to attend this meeting as BCHI’s Alternate Director. See you on the trail!

READ MORE  2017 BCHI LNT

Good afternoon to all you amazing chapter BCHI Education chairs and other interested parties.
The following attachment covers Leave No Trace information. Please try to cover at an upcoming meeting.
Also here is information on the next Master Educator class and costs.
2018 may be a better time for me to attend. Hope to see you on the trail!

Marybeth Conger
BCHI Education Chair

Members of Back Country Horsemen of Idaho

Attached is a Resolution that BCH of New Mexico is bringing forward at the BCHA National Directors’ Annual Meeting, April 20-22.

Please discuss with your membership and have your chapter’s directors or president send your comments and/or questions to both of our National Directors and to the Chairman at:

Bill Conger
chairman@bchi.org

Amy Lyman
national-director-1@bchi.org

Sam Duncan
national-director-2@bchi.org

Regards,

—
Debbie Samovar
BCHI Secretary
secretarybchi@gmail.com
208-245-3041

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The Idaho Wildlife Federation is Idaho’s oldest statewide conservation organization. Founded by sportsmen and women in 1936, we’re a leader in creating solutions to solve complex natural resource issues to protect our fish and wildlife, their habitats, and our hunting and fishing traditions.

http://www.idahowildlife.org/Our efforts advance “made in Idaho” solutions that sustain wildlife and sporting opportunities that thrive while maintaining local economies and working agricultural landscapes through sound policy work, landscape planning, and education.

Our Mission

The Idaho Wildlife Federation is dedicated to promoting the conservation and protection of our natural resources, wildlife, and wildlife habitat for future and current generations.

Who We Are

Founded in 1936, the Idaho Wildlife Federation is Idaho’s oldest statewide conservation organization. For the last 80 years, Idaho citizens with farsighted commitment to conservation have united to ensure wildlife’s future. We are sportsmen and women, business people, farmers and ranchers, children, parents and grandparents, teachers, laborers, students — in short, all of us who care about wildlife and care about our futures. The Idaho Wildlife Federation proves that conservation is all of us working together. By committing to work together for wildlife in spite of our differences, IWF will continue to lead the offensive for Idaho’s wildlife as a united voice, as it has for the last 80 years.

What We Do

The Idaho Wildlife Federation is the sportsman advocate and voice in the state legislature. We are present at the statehouse every day during the annual legislative session to advance proactive sportsman legislation and defeat bills that would roll back fish and wildlife protections, privatize wildlife, and turn over our shared public lands to the states for private sale.

We defend our public lands and our right to access them. We know that our system of public lands offers unspoiled, unfragmented, connected landscapes that provide a richness of fish and wildlife with unparalleled hunting and fishing afforded nowhere else in the United States.

We also represent sportsmen interests and sound wildlife management within landscape planning processes that involve state and federal agencies as well as private land. We do this by engaging communities and involving local constituents to create local solutions. By coordinating these efforts and the efforts of other organizations interested in the conservation of natural resources of the state of Idaho, IWF fosters and promotes a general and continued movement for the conservation, restoration, protection, and scientific supervision of all game, fish, fowl, and other wildlife in its habitat in the state.

Brian Brooks, Executive Director

(Speaker at the 2017 BCHI Convention)

Brian grew up in Idaho hunting and fishing in every corner of the state. He has had a fly rod or spinning rod in his hands since he was four years old and began hunting birds at 12. Big game soon followed. Idaho’s extensive system of public lands kept Brian in pursuit of fish and game further and further into the backcountry. Combining the exploration of Idaho’s seemingly limitless wild places with the primal participation in the cycle of life and death, Brian developed a respect and reverence for land and wildlife and the active role sportsmen and women play in their management.

The realization that our accessible public lands, clean waters, and robust fish and wildlife populations didn’t happen on accident motivated Brian to pursue an education that would give him the tools to work to preserve and enhance the opportunities he grew up with for others, forever. He received a B.S. in Conservation Social Science, a Masters of Natural Resources, and a Certificate in Restoration Ecology from the University of Idaho. Brian’s professional experience includes leading habitat restoration and trail crews, forestry, salmon and steelhead restoration planning, wildlife rehab/sanctuary manager, outdoor writer, and natural resource policy.

Besides fishing and hunting, Brian enjoys mountain and road biking, skiing and snowboarding, backpacking, and morel hunting.

IWF Is The Sportsman Voice in The State Legislature

We are at the state house every time sportsmen interests are under attack. We facilitate strategic legislative planning for sportsmen groups, professionally represent their interests in the legislature, promptly disseminate action alerts to our groups and supporters, and maintain close contact with the press. With a wealth of knowledge of natural resource policy, we operate by anticipating bad bills to efficiently defeat them, authoring proactive wildlife and sportsmen legislation, testifying in committee, and utilizing our state of the art communication and outreach system.

Sign up here for news, legislative updates, and action alerts for the legislative session.

Click this link to find your local legislators https://legislature.idaho.gov/about/12districtmap.pdf

Idaho Wildlife Federation
P.O. Box 6426
Boise, ID 83707
Phone: 208.342.7055
Email: info@idahowildlife.org

Back Country Horsemen of Idaho Member

At the September BCHI Directors Meeting some chapters expressed an interest in increasing BCHI dues to cover expenses rather than selling raffle calendars.

At my request, Kay Ryan and Rod Parks went through the finances. Attached is a letter of their findings.

Maybe one of the chapters that is against the calendar sales will have a proposal for the 2017 Convention. If we do not do a calendar after 2018, we will need to pass the dues increase in 2017, payable in 2019 or we will have to spend about $12,000 out of reserves until a dues increase is approved or another form of funding is put in force.

This letter will be in the February issue of Broomtales and on the Agenda of the March Convention.

Please look this over and discuss with you chapter.

Thank you,
Bob Savage
Chairman,
bchibsavage@gmail.com
208-448-2457

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MB Conger
Squaw Butte State Board Member & BCHI Education chair

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2015 Photo Contest Form